Improvement in detective-clocks for steam-boilers



HEN RYl Pi EPER. improvement in Detective-Clock for Steam-Beiiere.

Patented lune 4,182.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY PIEPER, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

IMPROVEMENT IN DETECTIVE-CLOCKS FOR STEAM-BOWERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 127,641, dated June 4, 16752.

To all whom yit may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY PIEPER, of the city, county, and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Control-Glock for Steam-Boilers; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof, which will enable those skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming part of this specification, in which drawmg- Figure 1 represents a plan or face View of my invention, the protecting-case ofthe clock having been removed to expose the working parts. Fig. 2 is a transverse section ot' the same.

Similar letters indicate corresponding parts.

This invention consists in combining with the gauge-cock of a steam-boiler aclock-movement and an alarm in such amanner that when the fireman neglects to open the gauge-cock at stated intervals-say each halt' hour, the clock stops andthe alarm is sounded. The connection between the gauge-cock, the clock-movement, and the alarm is such that, by the act ot' turning the gauge-cock, the alarm is stopped and the clock-movement started, whenever, by the neglect of the lireman, the operation of trying the gauge-cock has been delayed beyond the allotted time, while the gauge-cock can be operated at all times, without interfering with the motion of the clock; and by these means any neglect of the firemanin tryin g his gauge-cock at the stated intervals will be immediately detected by the clock lagging behind, while at the same time the alarm rouses up the negligent tireman to his duty, and the danger ot' an explosion from want ot' water in the boiler is reduced to a minimum.

In the drawing, the letter A designates the head of a steam-boiler, in which are secured a series of gauge-cocks, B B B, one above the other, in the manner usually practiced by boiler-manut'acturers. On the plug or handle of the middle gauge-cock B is mounted a pinion, a, which gears in a toothed rack, b, formed on one end of a slide, C, that moves in guide@ secured to the frame or" a clock-movement, D. From this frame extends an arm, d, which supports the fulcrum-pin c of an elbow-lever, fg, the long arm j' of which is held by a spring, t', in contact with a stop-lever, h, extending from the escapement of an alarm-clock, E, while the short arm g ot' said elbow-lever catches in a slotted bar, j, which is pivoted to the end of a lever, 7c. This lever is mounted on an arbor, Z, which connects, by means of a pinion, m, with the wheel D/ mounted firmly on the arbor m. On this shaft is mounted loosely the wheel D, which is connected with the arbor by a ratchet-wheel, al, and pawl a2. By these means the lever L receives a slow revolving motion in the direction of the arrow marked near it in Fig. l. This motion is so timed that, at fixed intervals of thirty minutes, (more or less,) the outer end of the slot in the rod j will bear against the arm g of the elbow-lever g j", and by turning this lever on its pivot the stoplever h is released and the alarm-clock is set in motion. At the same time the lever 7c is brought up against a stop, a, which is fixed to the frame of the clock-movement and the motion ot' the clock-movement is arrested. From the inner end of the lever k projects a toc, 0, and rigidly secured on the arbor of the pinion which gears with the rack of the slide G is mounted an arm, to which is pivoted the tappet p, so that it' the plug of the gauge-cock B is turned so as to move said slide in the direction of the arrow marked thereon in Fig. l, the tappet, on coming in contact with the toe o, turns the lever k away from the stop a, while it' the slide moves in the opposite direction ofthe arrow the tappet, on comingin contact with the toe o, yields and passes said toe without producing any motion of the lever 7;. Vhile the lever k is moved away from the stop the arbor m is turned in the direction of the arrow marked near it in Fig. l, the ratchet-wheel a slides under the pawl a2, and the wheelD remains stationary, so that the hands of the clock are not aiiected by this motion of the slide. It' the gauge-cock B is tried at intervals ot' less than thirty minutes, or any other Xed time, the lever k and slotted arm j will beprevented from moving back far enough to start the alarm-clock and to stop the motion ot' th e. clock-movement 5 but it' the fireman neglecta to try his gauge-cock within the xed time the lever k strikes the stop a, the alarm sounds, and the clock stops. By the alarm the tiremans attention is called immediaetly to his neglect, and, since the clock is intended to be locked up, the timewhich the clock-movement lags behind indicates the length of time forV which the reman has neglected to attend to the gaugecock. On the outer end of the slide C is formed a toothed rack, q, which gears in a pinion, r, mounted on an arbor, s, and this arbor also carries a tappet-arm, t, (best seen in Fig. 2,) which acts against the end of the escapement-lever u of the clock-movement, Whenever, by moving the slide C, a revolving motion is imparted to the arbor s. If the clock has been permitted to come to a stop, and the gauge-cook B is then operated, the tappet-arm t imparts to the escapernen t-lever a a swinging motion, and the clock is started automatically. By these means the action of the fireman is controlled7 and, at the same time, Whenever the fireman has neglected his duty in trying the gauge-cock Within the required intervals his attention is awakened by the alarm-clock,

so that the danger of an explosion from want of water in the boiler is entirely avoided.

What I claim as new, and desirev to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The tappet p, pivoted to an arm mounted on the arbor of the pinion that moves the slide C, in combination with the lever k and the parts connecting with the stop-lever of the alarm-clock, substantially as set forth.;

2. The tappet t, escapement-lever u, shaft s, and pinion 1', in combination with the slide rack-bar C, which is operated by the plug of the gauge-cock, the several parts arranged and operating substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

'HENRY PIEPER.

Witnesses:

W. HAUFF, E. F. KAsTENHUBER. 

